Engaging with Bourdieu\u27s theory of practice: an empirical tool for exploring school students\u27 technology practice

This article presents Bourdieu\u27s theory of practice as a tool for exploring school students\u27 technology practice in empirical research. The authors provide educational technology researchers with an accessible introduction to the theory of practice. They then detail the conceptual, methodological and analytic application of the theory of practice in two educational technology studies. The application of the theory in the two studies highlights the potential of the sociological framing for informing a robust critical research agenda and understanding the circumstances that can contribute to digital inequalities. Practically, knowledge gained through theoretically informed research is critical for researchers, governments, schools and teachers in working to overcome digital inequalities

Secondary school students\u27 technology practices in their everyday lives and at school

Schools have a role to play in preparing students for their digital futures, but need to do more to cater for all students. Despite significant government investment and increased prominence in educational curriculums worldwide, there is a lack of conclusive evidence to demonstrate that technology has had a significant impact on student learning. Despite its use in schools, research suggests that disparities in the technology practices, skills and knowledge of school students still exists. In fact, there is much that is not fully understood about students’ experiences with technologies, specifically how and why they use technologies in particular contexts. In order to effectively integrate technologies in secondary schools to benefit all students’ learning and future opportunities, there is a pressing need for evidence-based practice. This study extends educational technology research into secondary school students’ technology practices by investigating how and why students use technology at school and in their everyday lives. Guided by the sociological framework of Bourdieu’s theory of practice, the study design considers not only technology use but also context to provide an understanding of the interrelations between technology practices, the students and their surroundings. The multiple embedded case study reported in this thesis comprised four class cases and 12 student cases from two Australian public secondary schools. Student questionnaires and teacher interviews were conducted with 64 Year 9 and Year 10 students and four teachers from the class cases. From these class cases, 12 student cases provided in-depth accounts of students’ technology practices through interviews and diary records. In reviewing the study findings and literature, this thesis presents a theoretical framework that conceptualises student technology practices. Data analysis was guided, first, by the emergent themes and patterns from the data and, second, by the theoretical framework. The study found that students tended to use technologies in similar ways each day and often used only basic functions of the technologies both in their everyday lives and at school. Still, their technology practices were personalised, thus displaying varied technological dispositions, skills and knowledge. Students’ varied experiences and dispositions towards technology practices were shaped by a multitude of factors, including context, past experiences, skills and knowledge and others’ technology practices and perspectives. Students were most likely to engage in technology practices based on their personal interests, which they deemed to be familiar, likely to achieve success or symbolically profitable in some way. These influences suggest that technology practices are innately a social practice that is most effectively studied with consideration of context. The results suggest that students’ technology practices are social and complex, in that they are shaped by and connected to the contexts in which they are used. This has practical implications for the use of technologies in formal education as students’ traverse across contexts, negotiating each context’s varying systems, structures and technology practices. Thus, an understanding of students’ technology practices in their everyday life contexts inform understanding of how students perceive, approach and engage with technology practices at school. The outcomes of this study suggest that schools have the potential to shape students’ skills and knowledge, and to expose them to a technological culture that may benefit student learning and future opportunities. This may be achieved through an understanding of students’ practices and their contexts of technology use, thus informing the integration of technology applications that may be different from their everyday practices. This calls for a research agenda that examines not only students’ practices with technology but also students’ everyday life and school contexts of technology use, providing insight into the physical, social and cultural systems and structures that shape students’ technology practices. The outcomes of this research address a significant gap in contemporary understanding of the social and complex nature of students’ technology practices. This is achieved through theorising technology practices using Bourdieu’s theoretical constructs, thus contributing to the theory and empirical understanding of student technology practices, and so providing a conceptual framework of technology practice that may inform future research. The findings from this research provide a more holistic understanding of students’ technology practices in their everyday lives and at school, and sheds light on the reasons that underlie their practices

Understanding students\u27 use and value of technology for learning

Despite significant research in the field of educational technology, there is still much we do not fully understand about students\u27 experiences with technology. This article proposes that research in the field of educational technology would benefit from a sociological framing that pays attention to the understandings and lives of learners. Within a broader study that aimed to investigate students\u27 use and value of technologies guided by Bourdieu\u27s sociological theory, this article reports on qualitative embedded case study data of 12 students in years 9 and 10 from two Australian secondary schools. The article provides detailed accounts of students\u27 experiences with technologies in various contexts with consideration of the milieu in which technology use occurred, illustrating the heterogeneous and complex network of influencing factors on students\u27 technology practices. The findings and discussion augment the application of Bourdieu\u27s concepts of field, habitus and capital as a tool to view and understand students\u27 varied and complex experiences and relationships with technology

Engaging with Bourdieu\u27s theory of practice: an empirical tool for exploring school students\u27 technology practice

This article presents Bourdieu\u27s theory of practice as a tool for exploring school students\u27 technology practice in empirical research. The authors provide educational technology researchers with an accessible introduction to the theory of practice. They then detail the conceptual, methodological and analytic application of the theory of practice in two educational technology studies. The application of the theory in the two studies highlights the potential of the sociological framing for informing a robust critical research agenda and understanding the circumstances that can contribute to digital inequalities. Practically, knowledge gained through theoretically informed research is critical for researchers, governments, schools and teachers in working to overcome digital inequalities

Conceptualising technology practice in education using Bourdieu\u27s sociology

Evidence from large-scale studies of primary and secondary students\u27 technology practices at school over the last decade show disparities in student practices and suggest that schools need to do more to cater for all students. Research that explores the influence of social and cultural factors may be useful for understanding such inequality in student practice. Bourdieu\u27s theory of practice [(1977). Outline of a Theory of Practice. London: Cambridge University Press] is proposed as an example of a sociological theory that can be adopted in educational technology research to move towards understanding the wider complexities of technology practice. To encourage discourse and application of Bourdieu\u27s sociology in the field of educational technology research, this paper provides an introduction to the theory, a review of its application in research of primary and secondary students\u27 technology practice and relevant conceptual work. The paper presents a conceptual framework based on Bourdieu\u27s theory that has been developed through two recent studies, and review of empirical and conceptual works and invites its application in future research so that it can be critiqued and further developed

Reconceptualizing technology as a social tool: A secondary school student case study

This paper asserts that technology is an innately social tool and that the field of educational technology can benefit from research with a sociological framing. The study reported on in this paper adopts Bourdieu’s sociological concepts to conceptualize and understand students’ technology practices. This paper reports in detail on one case from the multiple embedded case study, which aimed to investigate the broader milieu of students’ technology practices. The findings from this case demonstrate how the student’s technology practices were inextricably linked to the social contexts in which they occurred and how these social contexts shaped the student’s perceptions and beliefs about technology

Reconceptualizing technology as a social tool: A secondary school student case study

This paper asserts that technology is an innately social tool and that the field of educational technology can benefit from research with a sociological framing. The study reported on in this paper adopts Bourdieu\u27s sociological concepts to conceptualize and understand students\u27 technology practices. This paper reports in detail on one case from the multiple embedded case study, which aimed to investigate the broader milieu of students\u27 technology practices. The findings from this case demonstrate how the student\u27s technology practices were inextricably linked to the social contexts in which they occurred and how these social contexts shaped the student\u27s perceptions and beliefs about technology

It takes more than an interest in STEM: students’ experience of transition to study in STEM disciplines at university

The journey to pursue and persist with a career in STEM is a complex process that begins at a young age, continues across secondary education and the end of school transition to university. Such decisions are influenced by a range of personal, social and environmental factors, highlighting the practical complexities of supporting young people in their transition to university. This paper explores the post-school transition of two students, one female and one male, with strong technological dispositions and aspirations to pursue careers in STEM fields. We focus on two STEM disciplines, Information Technology and Engineering, chosen by our participants. We employ the theory of practice (Bourdieu 1977) to analyse two students’ experience of transition. The findings from these case studies are not intended to be generalised. Rather the in-depth stories and theoretical case analysis provides a nuanced account of transition to study STEM disciplines. Importantly, the pathways into university were not equal for the participants. Class and gender intersected with university structures to enable and constrain students’ transition highlighting the significance of institutional supports within STEM disciplines to better support diverse students across the period of transition to university

Valuable data? Using walkthrough methods to understand the impact of digital reading platforms in Australian primary schools

This paper critically examines the design and impact of two commonly used education platforms for reading, PM eCollection and Epic. Framed by a data justice lens, the study employs a walkthrough methodology to examine the ways each platform (re)configures teaching and learning practice, and more broadly schooling. The study extends the method by engaging three primary school teachers in the walkthrough process embedded in their practice. Findings demonstrate significant asymmetries in the value derived from the data practices of the digital reading platforms by teachers, schools and EduTech companies. While of limited value in teacher’s practice, the use of the digital platforms and data has implications for the way reading is represented, students are made visible and treatment of teachers, students and families

Digital competence for emergency remote teaching in higher education: understanding the present and anticipating the future

Higher education has increasingly adopted online and blended models of teaching. Guided by institutional policy and digital competence frameworks, the integration of digital tools and competences is perceived as essential. The pivot to emergency remote teaching (ERT) in response to the COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of digital technologies and the need to deploy and support digital competences. Researchers captured a range of remote teaching practices in higher education across this period that highlight the adaptability of teachers despite a lack of preparation for such an event. This study reviewed empirical studies of ERT from the past 2 years to derive a conceptual frame for ERT digital competence, which was then applied as a lens to analyse teaching or digital competency frameworks from Australian universities. The findings of this paper demonstrate the pre-pandemic teaching and digital competency frameworks captured digital competencies relevant to ERT in varied ways. Practically, the findings provide a starting point for understanding digital competences needed for ERT to ensure future preparedness in responding to a crisis that disrupts educational provision. We also suggest universities can better support the development of teachers’ digital competence through practical operationalisations that connect technical and pedagogical knowledge, make digital possibilities across modes of delivery explicit, and acknowledge the need to protect wellbeing of educators